Rotary internal-combustion engine



Oct. 7, 1952 A. 0. WILSON 2,612,878

ROTARY INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE F iled Sept. 14, 1948 s Shets-Sheet 1 a I a ,I \1 H H u- I 1 1* Q g m i g :Q I

1 u Z Q I; a 5 H II l l l" j l I l l [I '3 i I I g I E: i I I a v I ARTHUR 0. WILSON INVEN TOR.

ATTORNEY A. 0. WILSON Oct. 7, 1952 ROTARY INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE 3 Sheets$heet 3 Filed Sept. 14, 1948 ARTHUR 0. M450 INVENTOR.

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A TIORNEY Patented Oct. 7, 1952 UNITED STAT ES PATENT (IF-F-I ",TE';

Arthur- 0. Wilson, Okanogan, Wash, assignor of one-.halfto-John Dwight Fisk, Seattle, ;Wash.-

Application september 14, 1948; Serial-No; 49 ,200?

This :invention relates to': rotary? internal com-- bustion engines, and especially'that type of. a rotary internal; combustion engine providing an annular cylinder'and having multipleipistonsfitted forrorbital .travel within-the cylinder, the engine, inmore particularity, being of that nature in which" multiple pistons are givenrelativei governedtmovement in course of'their'orbital progumetric capacity establishing conditionstior" ('1) the intake; of. av charge: of combustible. fuel, (2 compression. of. the: charge, .(3): firing of." the.

charge, (4). exhaustingofrthezspent gases.

broad;v aspects, .the: present" invention is of:

much :v thesame characteras that'illustrated. and. described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,568,052, is:- sued January 5, 1926, to vl5.'.A..Bu1lington.

The. present invention has; for its; object the provision of azperfectedengine ofthisnature: and especially one embodyingea. novel. system; of ec+ centricsfoncontrollin'gthemovementsof thepistons to cause each saidpiston to. act in complementboth'with a; precedingandwithta following piston: and work with: the. latter in a. necessary;

regulated sequence. of cyclic motion,

With this and other more particular objects:

and advantages in view, and which. will appear and ,be understood. in; the following description and claims, the invention: consistsin the novel.

construction and in the2adaptation and combination. of. parts: hereinafter" described: and: claimed.

Inthezaccompanyingldrawings:

Figurel is a longitudinal verticalsectional view.

illustrating, an engine constructed in accordance:

withtheipreferred embodiment of the presentim vention, the engine. here .shown beingpnewhich The :section, is. takenv on line. I---I of Fig.-.2-and.the portrayed.

employs two. sets;- of four. pistons.

pistonsare :shown partly in sectionandpartly in elevation.

Fig; 2-: is. a transverse vertical section thereof and Fig. 3 is a -.diagrammatic: sectional view' indieating; the pistons: in. a stage. of. their movement somewhat prior' to. the-positions in which: the:

same are shownin Fig 2.

Referring. toixsaid drawings, the engine: case.v isformed to present two axiallyspaced compart-- ments one of which functionsxasai gear chambet: andether other-of which may be; considered as thesworkingechamber. Theiworkingl-chamber- 2; is?pro'ducembyia cylindrical;casingzmember'desige nated .by" the numeral. 5: and: secured, as; by the:

bolts; 6; between headers 1% and: 8,2 andithegean chamber: is; pro'ducedibyra shell. I0 which isaor:

maybe oblong inmendhelevation and whichnisxboltablyt or. otherwise rigidly secured between the:- headeritand'an end plate; I I

Received within the working chamberrimsub-w stantial end-to-end. abutting relation are two -rotary wheels I2 and I3' of lesszdiameter'thantthe: hereof the. casing member 5, .and-ausetioft'ipisetons aresintegrated .withseach of these wheelsiami;v extend radially therefrom to the 'circumferentiaL surface; of the here. I have indicated; each i said: set ascomprising four pistons; denoted by. I4; I5',-.. 1 6 and I I in theinstanceoithe wheel I 2;- and; by I8, I9, 20' and 2I in the instance of-the Wheel. I3.- The pistons, which are spacedat equidistantin tervals: of the related wheel's circumference'and, carry packing; strips-which fit. into edge'gro'oves areeach so designed,,inclusive"of the packing. strips, as. to. extend" the entire: width of. the. wor1s-- ing ,chamb er.

Internally of I. the .wheelsand journal-mountedfrom'the enginecase to locate-the: same concem: trio to the :wheels. is. avhollowe drumr-like -cylin--* der 22 which extendsby an.end prolongationzlfl: into the gear chamber. This.hollowicylinderfindsi indirect connection with the piston-wheels; through the instrumentality of eccentrically: mounted sheaves and complementing-, linkshereinafter to be described, consequently serving, the:-

function ofia-carrier, and his by this. termthat:

the samewill be hereinafter'referredito..

DesignatedbyM is, a main shaft. Saidzshaft: receivesaa rotary. journal fromneedle bearings-222i caged in terminal hubs of the carrierandproiectsby its ends beyond the.latter,,;andintegrated with the shaft and placed tooccupy positions- Withinthe working chamber areapairof axially; spaced eccentrics 26 and. 21. The hereinbeforer; mentioned sheaves, denoted 28- and :29;;taretjournaled upon the eccentrics by suitablemeans-Jsuchas. the indicated needle -bearingsz30 and-"each;- sheave is provided withsurface=lugs, as 3 2--3-3" and 3435, placed. diametrically opposite one arn other. The SUIfaQCGIHgSrOfLthB sheave 28* connect by wrist. pins 36 and 31 with respective" links- 38 and 39, and these links extendrin oppoe" site directions. circumferentially of the related sheave and connect through wrist pinsAIl-and- M one with a lug, fast tothe carrier and the other with a lug; fast to the piston wheel I32. Similarly, the two surface:lugsv34 and'35 -of, the": sheave 29- connectiby wristpinsfl and 43, .re-

spectively, with links 44 and 45, and these two links likewise connect by wrist pins one with the carrier and the other with the piston wheel I3. It will thus be seen that each of the two links 38 and 44 connect with the carrier, and that the two links 39 and 45 connect one with the piston wheel l2 and the other with the piston wheel I3. In order to accommodate the lugs and the links the carrier is cut away at spaced intervals of its length and at diametrically opposite sides to present circumferentially extending slots designated by 46.

Reverting now to the gear chamber, it will be seen that geared connection is provided between the main shaft 24 and the carrier 22, thus causing these two members to rotate at a constant ratio, with the shaft turning at the higher speed. The ratio which I provide is to 1. The train of gears illustrated comprises a drive gear 50 keyed to the end prolongation 23 of the carrier and caused to mesh a step-up pinion 5| which operates through a stub shaft 52 to drive a gear 53 which meshes in turn with a step-up pinion 54 keyed to the main shaft 24. The nature of the gear train is unimportant to the present invention and planetary gearing or, in fact, any reduction drive suitable to the purpose might as well be employed.

The engine is portrayed as being air-cooled and fins 55 for this purpose extend circumferentially about the perimeter of the cylindrical casing member 5. The engine has its intake and exhaust ports, designated 58 and 5'5, respectively, and its spark plugs 58 each located within the circumference of said casing. Two said intake ports, two exhaust ports, and two plugs placed in each instance diametrically opposite one another are provided, and while not shown in the drawings the respective ports perforce connect with the usual intake and exhaust pipes, and the plugs are necessarily wired in an ignition circuit. The desired relationship, as between the ports and the plugs, and considered relative to the directional rotation of the piston wheels, positions an intake port in close following relation to an exhaust port and located an ignition plug substantially central to median lines taken through the intake and exhaust ports which occur upon one side and those which occur at the diametrically opposite side of the casing.

Describing the operation of the engine, it will be apparent that the main shaft, turning through five revolutions to each revolution of the carrier, transmits through its eccentrics an oscillatory movement to each of the sheaves more or less at right angles to radial lines projected from the rotary axis of the shaft through the axis of therelated wrist pin which anchors the connecting link 38 or 44, as the case may be, to the carrier 22. This movement of the eccentrics shifts one sheave in one direction from center coincident with a shift of the other sheave in an opposite direction, and acting through the links 39 and 45 causes the two rotating piston wheels to moverelatively, thus responsively moving the pistons of the one said wheel directively toward and from the pistons of the other wheel, reciprocally. During this operation, the carrier moves forward at a constant speed, advancing all the pistons as alternate oscillations take place. As each piston successively approaches and passes an intake port, an ignition port, and an exhaust port, it acts both with a preceding piston and with a following piston to produce pockets of continually changing dimensions into which the fuel gases are first drawn, then compressed, fired, and exhausted, the firing of the charges acting by th expansion of the burning gases to develop pressure upon both the front and back pistons of the pocket in question and, relatively speaking, causing the same to move directively from one another. Inasmuch, however, as the carriage is advancing at much the same speed as the rear piston is moving backwardly, the rear piston momentarily becomes stationary but actually transmits rotational power to the eccentric shaft. It is to be noted, and the 5 to 1 ratio is the controlling factor therefor, that whereas the combustion chambers described between two sets of pistons, say the pistons l4--l8 and lG-20, will be brought into positions preparatory to being fired from the right-hand and left-hand ignition plugs, respectively, when the multiple pistons and their connecting elements are located as shown in Fig. 3, a half turn of the eccentric shaft 24 or 191 in relation to the carrier will perforce relocate these pistons such as, position considered, substantially to transpose the leading piston of the one set with the following piston of another set and the compressed charges which are ready to be fired will be then contained between pistons l4 and 2| as one set and between pistons I6 and [9 as the other set, the trailing pistons I4 and I6 coincidently acting as leading pistons in back of which pistons 2| and [9 become trailing pistons to compress charges and being themselves advanced to a point where firing will take place only as the carrier has advanced a further 45 of rotary travel.

It is to be noted that the drive from the engine can be taken ofi either the main shaft 24 or a prolongation of the stub shaft 52, both of which are geared together, to accomplish either a highspeed or a low-speed drive, comparatively speakmg.

It is thought that the present engine and the manner of its operation will be clear from the foregoing detailed description of my now-preferred embodiment. The engine obviously admits of some changes in its details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is my intention that the hereto annexed claims be read with the broadest interpretation which the employed language fairly permits.

What I claim'is:

1. In a rotary internal combustion engine, an engine case providing an annular working chamber, a main shaft journal-mounted in the case for rotary movement about an axis concentric thereto and formed to provide a pair of eccentrics occupying axially spaced positions within the working chamber, a pair of piston wheels each carrying a set of radial pistons and journalmounted for rotary movement about an axis coinciding with that of the shaft, a carrier also received in the working chamber and likewise journal-mounted for rotary movement about the center of the shaft as an axis, sheaves working on the eccentrics, means connecting both sheaves to the rotary carrier and each sheave to a respecbet, a maiir-shaft journal-mounted in the case' for rotarymovement about an axisconcentric theretoland formed to provide a pair of eccentrics occupying axially spaced positions within the mounted for rotary movement about the center of-the shaft as-an axis, sheaves working on theeccentrics, link means connectingboth'sheaves to therotary'carrier and each sheave to a respective one of the two piston wheels for imparting relative rotarymotion to the two sets of pistons in response to arotary movement of the main shaft at a speed differing :from zthat'ofrthe carrier, and'connection between said shaft and the carrier for causing the one to turn at a different speed than the other. I

3'; In a rotary internal'combustionengine, an annular working chamber, a main shaft journaled for rotation about the center of the chamber as an axis'and formed to provide'a pair of eccentrics placed with their high points at diametrically opposite sides of the shaft and occupying axially spaced positions within the chamber, two piston wheels and a carrier wheel, the latter of smaller diameter than the piston wheels, each received in the chamber and journal mounted for rotation about a common axis coinciding with that of the shaft, the two piston wheels having a corresponding diameter less than that of the working chamber and being placed side-by-side to each extend substantially one-half the length of the working chamber, sets of pistons integrated with the piston wheels and extending radially outwardly therefrom with the pistons of one set alternating with the pistons of the other set and with each said piston wiping the inner periphery and both end walls of the working chamber to define individual fuel pockets between adjacent pistons, means connecting th main shaft to the carrier wheel and acting by rotation of the former to drive the latter at a lower R. P. M., sheaves working on the two eccentrics, and connections from both sheaves to the carrier wheel and from each sheave to a respective one of the two piston wheels operating by the different speeds at which said carrier wheel and the shaft turn to alternatively establish interrupted orbita1 travel of the two piston wheels responsively causing the several pistons of one set to move toward and from adjacent pistons of the other set.

4. In a rotary internal combustion engine, an annular working chamber, a main shaft journalmounted for rotation about the center of the chamber as an axis and formed to provide a pair of eccentrics placed with their high points at diametrically opposite sides of the shaft and occupying axially spaced positions within the chamber, two piston wheels and a carrier wheel each received in the chamber and journal-mountedfor rotation about a common axis coinciding with that of the shaft, sets of radial pistons integrated with each of the piston wheels and each piston of one set acting with adjacent pistons of the other set to provide fuel pockets, sheaves working on the eccentrics, means connecting the carrier wheel to the main shaft acting by rotation of the former to drive the latter at a higher R. P. M., and link connections from both sheaves to the carrier wheel and from each sheave to a respecset to move-toward and fr mr scent pistons,

theothe'rFset;

5. In a rotary internal combustion engine; an

annularworking chamber, a main shaft journaled for rotation about the center of the chamber as: an axis I and formed to provide a pair' or eccen'etries occupying axially: sp aced positions within: the chamber' and disposed with their high pointsadiametrically opposite" one: another, two piston wheels and a carrier wheel each received in lth'eu chamberzand journal mountedfonrotationiabout a com'n'io'n' axis coinciding with tl iat 0f"theshaft} the two pistonwheels' =lying 'side-"-by sid an d hava: ing a correspondin'g" diameter lessthan thatof flfe' i working chamber, the carrier::wheel beingh of? smaller diameter than the piston wheels; setsef radial pistons-for each-pistomwheel each wipin the inner periphery andboth= end-walls of the working chamber and made integral with the" related piston wheels to occur at intervals about the circumference of the latterwiththe pistons of' one set alternating with the pistons oflthe other set, exhaust and intake ports' -lapped by'the pistons in course ofthe rotary travel:

thereof and occurring in close-followingrelation at: diametrically opposite sidesof the workingchamber, sparking devices placed intermediate the two sets of ports, sheaves working on the eccentrics, means connecting the carrier wheel to the main shaft acting by rotation of the former to drive the latter at a higher R. P. M., and connections from both sheaves to the carrier wheel and from each sheave to a respective one of the two piston wheels operating by the different speeds at which said carrier wheel and the shaft turn to alternatively establish interrupted orbital travel of the two piston wheels to responsively cause the several pistons of one set to move toward and from-adjacent pistons of the other set.

6. The rotary internal combustion engine of claim 5, the speed ratio as between the main shaft and the carrier being 5 to 1.

'7. In a rotary internal combustion engine, an annular working chamber, a main shaft journaled for rotation about the center of the chamber as an axis and formed to provide a pair of eccentrics occupying axially spaced positions within the chamber and disposed with their high points diametrically opposite one another, two piston wheels and a carrier wheel each received in the chamber and journal-mounted for rotation about a common axis coinciding with that of the shaft, the two piston wheels lying side-by-side and having a corresponding diameter less than that of the working chamber, the carrier wheel being of smaller diameter than the piston wheels, sets of radial pistons for each piston wheel each wiping the inner periphery and both end walls of the working chamber and made integral with the related piston wheels to occur at 90 intervals about the circumference of the latter with the pistons of one set alternating with the pistons of the other set, exhaust and intake ports lapped by. the pistons in course of the rotary travel thereof and occurring in close following relation at diametrically opposite sides of the working chamber, sparking devices placed intermediate the two sets of ports, sheaves working on the eccentrics, a respective rod for each of said sheaves linking the related sheave to the carrier wheel, and a respective rod for each of said sheaves one linking one sheave to one piston wheel and the other linking the other sheave to the other piston wheel arranged and adapted, by the different speeds at which said carrier wheel and the shaft turn, to alternatively establish such interrupted orbital travel of the two piston wheels as will responsively cause the several pistons of the one set to move toward and from adjacent pistons of the other set, the fuel pockets which are described between adjacent pistons acting to develop their maximum compression pressure at a point coinciding with the passage of said fuel pockets by the sparking devices.

=8. In a rotary internal combustion engine, an engine case providing an annular working chamber, a main shaft journal-mounted in the case for rotary movement about an axis concentric thereto and formed to provide a pair of eccentrics occupying axially spaced positions within the working chamber and having their high pointsat diametrically opposite sides of the shaft, sheaves working on the eccentrics, a carrier received in the working chamber and journalmounted for rotary movement about the center of the shaft as an axis, a pair of piston wheels each carrying a set of radial pistons and journalmounted side-by-side on the carrier, said piston provided between the piston wheels, between such wheels having a combined width suificient to 30 bridge the working chamber and hence isolate an amiular combustion chamber interrupted by the wheels and the end walls of the working chamber, and between the pistons and the walls of the combustion chamber.

ARTHUR 0. WILSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,476,784 Weed Dec. 11, 1923 1,568,053 Bullington Jan. 5, 1926 1,701,534 Knopp Feb. 12, 1929 2,450,150 McCulloch et al. Sept. 28, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 3,138 Great Britain Sept. 26, 1873 396,253 Great Britain Aug. 3, 1933 612,081 Germany Apr. 13, 1935 

